PARIS: A month of “yellow vest” protests have taken a further toll on the popularity of French President Emma­nuel Macron, a new poll showed on Sunday, with analysts saying he will be forced to change his style of governing.

Around 66,000 protesters turned out again on Saturday on the fifth round of anti-government demonstrations, which sprung up over fuel tax hikes last month.

The figure was about half the number of the previous weekend, suggesting momentum was waning and the most acute political crisis of Macron’s 19-month presidency was coming to an end.

“It is calming down, but what remains of it all is a strong feeling of hatred towards Macron,” said sociologist Herve Le Bras from the School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences.

A major poll by the Ifop group published in Journal du Dimanche newspaper showed Macron’s approval had slipped another two points in the last month, to 23pc.

The proportion of people who declared themselves “very dissatisfied” by his leadership jumped by six points to 45pc.

Le Bras said the protests had underlined the depth of dislike for Macron’s personality and style of governing, which critics see as arrogant and too distant.

Until last week, a clear majority of French people backed the protests, which sprung up initially over high taxes before snowballing into broader opposition to Macron.

In a bid to end the standoff, he announced a package of measures for low-income workers on Monday in a televised address, estimated by economists to cost up to 15 billion euros.

Two polls published last Tuesday — in the wake of Macron’s concessions — suggested the country was now split broadly 50-50 on whether the protests should continue.

“It’s a movement that has succeeded in forcing back what looked like a strong government,” said Jerome Sainte-Marie, a public opinion expert at the Pollingvox group.

“People have confidence in themselves now, so things won’t return to how they were on November 15” before the protests started, he said. “The context in which Emmanuel Macron holds power has changed,” he added.

“Macron has given an indication that he is more open to dialogue,” said Jean-Daniel Levy from the Harris Interactiv polling group.

The government has announced a six-month consultation with civil society groups, mayors, businesses and the “yellow vests” to discuss tax and other economic reforms.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2018